BurbankJournal.com

Presidential Succession

According to the Presidential Succession Act of 1792, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate was next in line after the Vice President to succeed to the Presidency, followed by the Speaker of the House. In 1886 Congress changed the order of Presidential Succession, replacing the President Pro Tempore and the Speaker with the cabinet officers. The Presidential Succession Act of 1947, signed by President Harry Truman, changed the order again to what it is today. The cabinet members are ordered in the line of succession according to the date their offices were established.

The following list shows the Presidential Line of Succession under President Bush and will show the line under President Obama after the holders of those offices are nominated and confirmed by the Senate.

• President Barack Obama George Bush
• Vice President Joe Biden Dick Cheney
• Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi Nancy Pelosi
• Senate President Pro Tempore Robert Byrd Robert Byrd
• Secretary of State _________________ Condoleezza Rice
• Secretary of the Treasury _________________ Henry Paulson
• Secretary of Defense _________________ Robert Gates
• Attorney General _________________ Michael Mukasey
• Secretary of the Interior _________________ Dirk Kempthorne
• Secretary of Agriculture _________________ Edward T. Schafer
• Secretary of Commerce _________________ Carlos Gutierrez*
• Secretary of Labor _________________ Elaine Chao*
• Secretary of HHS _________________ Mike Leavitt
• Secretary of HUD _________________ Steven C. Preston
• Secretary of Transporation _________________ Mary E. Peters
• Secretary of Energy _________________ Samuel Bodman
• Secretary of Education _________________ Margaret Spellings
• Secretary of VA _________________ James Peake
• Secretary of HS _________________ Michael Chertoff

Be advised that an official cannot succeed to the Presidency unless that person meets the Constitutional requirements. Individuals marked with an asterisk (*) did not meet the Constitutional requirements for the Presidency; they would be passed over and succession would go to the next qualified cabinet member in line.

I suggest that you print this article and then write-in your educated guesses regarding who Obama will select for each position. As the President Elect makes his choices, we will update this page.

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